


A Run-In With a Hot Stranger

by lesbianfanfiction



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/F, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Humor, Jaspidot - Freeform, No Angst, Slow Build, Sweet, slower than my usual fics, so i guess slow burn, this is gonna have multiple chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 20:20:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7771786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianfanfiction/pseuds/lesbianfanfiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jasper is out for a jog when she's almost hit by a car. Luckily for her, the driver is cute as hell.</p><p>A bit of a slow burn jaspidot fic, but probably no more than seven (?) or so chapters. Eventual smut.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Watch Where You're Going, You Clod

Jasper took a deep breath as she left her apartment, the morning air warm and humid in her lungs. Hiding her key under a flower pot, Jasper did some simple stretches before jogging down the steps, her blonde ponytail bouncing with each step.

Today was Jasper’s day off from work, and she planned to enjoy it fully. She had let herself sleep in until eight, and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of eggs, bacon, and fruit—along with a protein shake in lieu of coffee—and was on her way for her daily run. So far, the perfect day. She had even gotten to read comics with breakfast, since it was Sunday.

Jasper loved running. It cleared her mind, kept her fit, and boosted her spirits. Classes were starting in only a couple short weeks, and every time she thought about the stupid science course she was required to take, her mood sank a bit more. Her daily jogs were one of the best ways to stay upbeat. Her roommate, Amethyst, thought she was crazy. Then again, Amethyst would think Jasper was crazy anyways, considering she got up at six on a regular basis, while it was rare for Amethyst to rise pre-noon. Her schedule of evening classes and night shifts at the local grocery store ensured that her sleeping habits would remain undisturbed for the foreseeable future. Jasper had always been an early riser, but her job at the gym that had seven am start times had cemented the fact for the past few months.

Bringing herself back into the present, Jasper popped her earbuds in and jogged off down the road, settling into an easy, loping stride that ate up the ground in front of her. She turned right to head for her four-mile loop, opting to treat herself to an easy day instead of her usual six. Her thoughts began to drift, and soon Jasper was running effortlessly, her mind preoccupied with the songs blaring in her ears. She barely noticed as she began to sweat, tank top sticking to her broad back and darkening across her chest. The miles began to melt away as she lost herself in the relentless rhythm of running.

She was almost home when it happened. She was crossing the street on the crosswalk when a beat-up old Volkswagen beetle careened around the curve, blowing through the stop sign there without even slowing down. It was going entirely too fast, tires screeching, and heading right for her.

~

Peridot gripped her steering wheel, ignoring the stop sign on the corner and turning without checking if the coast was clear. She pressed the gas to speed up just before she saw a tall, fit woman jogging across the street. Instinctively, she blared the horn as she stomped on the gas, watching as if in slow motion as the woman realized what was happening, her eyes widening and her body jumping out of the way. Peridot’s own eyes screwed shut as she braced for impact, still pressing the brake to the floor. She heard a small thud and felt the car jerk slightly, and panic rose in her chest.

As soon as the car finally screeched to a halt, Peridot leapt out and ran to where the stranger was sitting on the ground, looking bewildered but thankfully uninjured.

Peridot felt like her heart was fluttering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She hovered over the woman, eyes frantically searching her for any sign of damage. After a quick once over that revealed no obvious injuries, her heart began to slow—only to kick right back into high gear when she realized how attractive the woman was. Obviously tall, quite muscular, her dark skin marked with uneven blotches of vitiligo. A massive mane of light hair was swept into a messy ponytail, and her golden-hazel eyes were ringed with thick, dark lashes as she looked up at Peridot.

Immediately, Peri felt blush warm her cheeks, and her stupid brain turned to mush. The only thing her dumb ass could think to do in her state of relief over not committing manslaughter was to lash out, so that's exactly what she did.

“You clod!” Peridot yelled, her eyes wide with shock and relief. “You could have been killed! Why the hell were you in the middle of the road? What’s wrong with you?” Peridot kept going, yelling obscenities at the stranger, who looked like she wasn’t entirely present just yet.

~

The car had just barely grazed her right hip. The force of it sent Jasper spinning to the ground, dazed but ultimately unhurt. Her earbuds had been pulled out of her ears, and as she sat on the side of the road, chest heaving, sweat rolling down her forehead, a loud, persistent sound started up. It took her entirely too long to recognize it as a voice.

Looking up, Jasper was met with the sight of a short woman with glasses, dyed-green hair, and prosthetic legs yelling at her. Despite being of apparent Asian descent, the eyes behind her thick glasses were a dark green, captivating in the sun. The woman’s dark roots had grown in, and her chin-length bob was disheveled, the mint tresses tossed every which way. She had a smattering of freckles across her tiny, cute nose. She was leaning toward Jasper, her brow furrowed as she talked.

Eventually, Jasper managed to focus on her voice.

“Hello? Can you hear me?” the woman asked, her voice nasally but somehow still adorable. “Are you even listening to me? What the hell were you doing?!”

“What the hell?” Jasper suddenly burst out, glaring at the woman. “What were you doing, speeding like that? You could’ve killed me!” The woman bristled indignantly.

“What was I doing? What were you doing, running in the road?” she yelled back, gesturing wildly.

“I was on the fucking crosswalk!” Jasper cried, standing up to her full, intimidating height of six foot two. The woman barely came up to her chest. “You’re supposed to _stop_ at the fucking _stop sign_! It’s like you _wanted_ to hit me!”

“Like hell I was! I turned the corner and you were in the middle of the goddamn road!” Despite being so tiny, the woman was yelling right back, even pointing her finger at Jasper’s broad chest.

“You were going fucking fifty miles an hour! This is a neighborhood, not the Indy 500!” Jasper retorted, slapping the girl’s hand away.

“I was going at a perfectly reasonable speed!” she claimed, crossing her arms. “Ever hear of a sidewalk, you clod?”

“I was _crossing the damn road_ _!"_   Jasper yelled. “You’re the one who completely ignored the stop sign!”

“I—I don’t appreciate your tone!” the woman hissed, seeming to realize that she was in the wrong. Jasper threw her arms up and turned towards home, glaring over her shoulder.

“Yeah, okay, _mom_ ,” she sneered, “Just watch where you’re fucking going next time. And maybe learn to read signs.”

With that, Jasper popped her earbuds in and began to jog again, making her way the last half-mile or so toward her apartment.

~

Peridot stood, seething, as she watched the stranger jog away. She ground her teeth in frustration before her initial shock gave way to guilt. What was wrong with her? She had almost hit the woman, and then she decided to scream at her?!

“W-wait!” she called, but the woman had her earbuds in and was still running resolutely away from her. “Dammit!”

Peridot watched helplessly as the beautiful stranger disappeared from her life, probably forever. She looked her up and down, trying to memorize the lines of her (incredible) body. That ass was to die for, oh man…and that back! God, Peridot had never seen a woman with such a muscular physique. As she watched, Peridot suddenly realized that the orange tank top the woman was sporting had the name of a gym on it, along with the words ‘professional trainer.’ Was that where the woman worked? It made sense, considering how fucking buff she was. Quickly, Peridot whipped out her phone and wrote down ‘Diamond Gym.’ Maybe she could bring by some flowers or something, to show how sorry she was.

With a sigh, Peridot got back in her car began driving, going substantially slower this time, and making sure to stop at every stop sign. She didn’t think her gay little heart could take another run-in (literally) with another beautiful stranger.

~

Jasper finally reached her porch, bending over to prop her hands on her knees for a moment. The adorable stranger’s face still hadn’t left her mind. She scowled as she retrieved her key and let herself in, sagging against the door melodramatically.

“Rough morning?” she heard Amethyst pipe up from their couch. She looked over to find the short, chubby girl relaxing with a half-eaten slice of cold pizza in her hand. For once, she had already showered, and was dressed as if ready to go out.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Jasper groaned, grabbing a water bottle and collapsing on the armchair haphazardly. She dragged a hand down her face and sighed heavily before chugging water.

“What happened?” Amethyst asked, muting the TV.

“I just almost fucking died,” Jasper deadpanned, rolling her head to look at Amethyst.

“What the fuck?” Amethyst laughed, not taking her seriously. “What happened?”

“A girl nearly ran me over with her car.”

“What?” Amethyst’s chuckles died off, beginning to believe Jasper’s tale. “Are you okay?”

Jasper rubbed her hip, frowning.

“Yeah, I’ll probably have a bruise, but nothing major,” Jasper said, downing the rest of her water. “Shame, though. She was pretty cute.”

“Oh yeah?” Amethyst grinned, leaning forward. “What did she look like?”

“She’s short, shorter than you by an inch or two,” Jasper began, “And pretty petite, but god _damn_ she had a nice ass. She was at least part Asian, I wanna guess maybe Korean? But she had these gorgeous green eyes, like that really deep, almost black type of green, you know?”

Amethyst grinned as Jasper described the girl to her, finishing her slice of pizza.

“And she wore round glasses, and had like neck-length hair that was dyed like a mint green,” Jasper continued, “And she had freckles, how fucking cute is that? She drove this old green beetle, which is super cute. And she had prosthetics below the knee, but they were super cool, like fucking tricked out, robot-type looking things. She seemed fiery, too—she yelled at me for being in the street.”

Jasper laughed as she said the last sentence. Amethyst’s eyebrows raised.

“Were you in the street?”

“I was crossing the street,” Jasper explained, “And I was on the crosswalk! She just blew through a stop sign and barreled right for me!”

“Jeez, sounds like a pain in the ass,” the Venezuelan girl chuckled. “Good riddance.”

“Oh, like Pearl wasn’t annoying when you first met her?” Jasper scoffed, heaving herself out of the chair and heading towards the shower.

“At least I knew Pearl’s name!” Amethyst shot back, devoid of any real heat.

"Whatever," Jasper scoffed. "Oh, speaking of Pearl, are you guys going out or something? You're all dressed up."

"Yeah, we were gonna grab a coffee," Amethyst answered. "Oh, hey, you should've invited the girl out to coffee! That would've been a funny story about how you two met--her almost running you over with her bug."

“Yeah, well, I didn't, and I’ll probably never see her again,” Jasper sighed. "But thanks for pointing that out."

"Hey, I'm just calling 'em as I see 'em," Amethyst answered, folding her arms behind her back.

Jasper sighed, heading for the shower, still firm in her belief that she'd never see the girl again.

She had no idea how wrong she was.


	2. Jasper, Meet Peridot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot shows up at Jasper's work unexpectedly. Jasper is terrible at flirting. Peridot is an awkward dork.

Jasper opened her eyes to the sound of her alarm blaring next to her head. Hitting the off button, she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling with a sour look on her face. The memory of the woman who’d almost crashed into her stared back.

It had been almost a week, and Jasper still hadn’t managed to forget about the stranger with her old punch buggy. Her dark green eyes seemed to stare at her whenever she closed her eyes, and the smell of her perfume still seemed to cling to her nostrils—something sharp and sweet, like peppermint.

With a sigh, Jasper rolled out of bed to get ready for work. Beautiful stranger haunting her thoughts or not, she still needed to pay rent.

It was still early when Jasper arrived in the kitchen and started making coffee, her freshly-showered hair dampening her work tank top. Glancing out the window, she spotted Pearl’s baby-blue Prius (because of course Ms. Perfect would have a Prius, she scoffed), meaning that the lanky girl had spent the night with Amethyst last night. The two of them had been dating for ages, but Pearl’s office job in the city required her to live closer to downtown than Amethyst would prefer, so they had decided to live in separate places. At least, that’s what they said—but Jasper was willing to wager that they spent enough over at her place to warrant Pearl just moving in already.

Shrugging it off, Jasper added an inordinate amount of cream and sugar to her coffee, grabbing a couple power bars and sitting down at the tiny table. She let her thoughts wander as she ate breakfast, unintentionally inviting the stranger with the mint hair back into the forefront of her mind. She sighed, resigning herself to another long day of ‘what ifs’.

Her musing was interrupted by a small sound from the door to the kitchen. Looking up, Jasper saw a quite awake-looking Pearl standing there, already dressed and ready for the day. A glance at the clock confirmed that it was not yet 6:30.

“Morning,” Jasper said with some amusement; the fact that Pearl and Amethyst were practically opposites and yet worked together better than most anyone else she knew was always something of a joke to her.

“Good morning,” Pearl returned, walking towards the counter. “Is there anymore coffee?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Jasper confirmed, munching on her power bar. A minute later, Pearl joined her at the table, coffee in hand. She preferred hers with only a bit of cream, as Jasper was well aware of after so many early mornings spent together, Jasper getting ready for work, Pearl waiting for Amethyst to wake up.

Jasper had to admit that Amethyst had good taste; Pearl was pretty cute, if not really her type. Pearl’s mom was from the Philippines, but her father was a white American; Pearl had inherited her father’s big blue eyes and her mother’s black hair (although she had been dying it a light, peachy pink for the past few years), and while her skin wasn’t as dark as Jasper’s or Amethyst’s, she did have a smattering of freckles across her nose, cheeks, shoulders, and chest. Her lean form was attributed to her hobbies of ballet and fencing, and Jasper knew that wiry frame could pack a punch.

“So,” Pearl began, and the way her voice lilted as if holding back laughter made Jasper look up warily. “Amethyst told me about your run-in last week.”

Jasper groaned as Pearl giggled at her own pun, one delicate hand hiding her mouth.

“Of course she did,” Jasper flopped her head into her arms with a sigh. “And?”

“And she said you thought the driver was cute,” Pearl said smugly, sipping out of her mug. Jasper rolled her eyes so hard she thought her retinas might detach.

“So what?” she grumbled, chewing morosely on the last bit of her breakfast.

“Well, maybe you’ll see her again,” Pearl mused. “It’d be nice for you to go out somewhere other than the gym every now and again.”

“I go out with you and Amethyst,” Jasper protested. “And Garnet, sometimes.” Pearl shot her a withering look.

“Going out less than once a month with your roommate and her girlfriend doesn’t exactly count, Jasper,” Pearl shook her head. “And all you and Garnet do is kickboxing.”

“It does too count,” the taller of the two mumbled grumpily. “Besides, I’m never gonna see her again.”

Pearl rolled her eyes as Jasper downed the rest of her coffee and stood up, putting her mug in the dishwasher before grabbing her keys and heading out to work.

~

Peridot scowled as she pulled up to the address on her phone, her GPS announcing that she had arrived at her destination. She glanced sideways to the flowers resting on her passenger seat and almost lost her nerve; this was so stupid! It had been almost a week; the woman probably didn’t even remember her!

Peridot, on the other hand, hadn’t been able to get the woman out of her head. Those eyes had been so incredible; a golden color she’d never seen before, framed by a stripe of vitiligo. And those eyes had been staring at her every time Peridot closed her own.

With a grumpy sigh, Peridot grabbed the flowers a walked inside to the desk. A young man stood behind it, and greeted her happily.

“I need to give these to someone,” Peridot immediately said, ignoring his hello.

“Okay, to whom?” the boy said, unphased by Peridot’s grumpiness.

“I…I don’t know,” Peridot shrank slightly. “I—I never got her name. But I think she works here. She was wearing a tank top that said ‘Diamond Gym Personal Trainer.’”

“She might,” the receptionist said, “but we do sell those tank tops to any of our members.”

“Oh, great,” Peridot groaned, letting her face fall into her palm. “Look, she’s pretty distinctive. Really tall, buff, long blonde hair? Dark skin with light patches?”

“Ohhh, you mean Jasper?” the boy realized. “Yeah, she works here. She’s actually here today, if you wanna give those to her personally.”

“Th-that won’t be necessary,” Peridot stammered, the thought of seeing those golden eyes again making her knees go weak. “I’ll just—leave these here.” Placing the flowers on the desk, Peridot turned to leave, practically running to her car, cursing her own awkwardness.

~

“Good! Let’s take a fifteen-minute break,” Jasper announced to her class, sweeping some hair back from her forehead. Everyone sighed with relief, dripping sweat and panting heavily, while Jasper jogged out to the front desk, having barely broken a sweat.

“Hey, Henry, any calls?” Jasper asked, eyeing a bouquet of flowers. They were pretty, all reds and oranges and yellows.

“No calls, but some chick just left those for you,” Henry, the receptionist, pointed to the flowers.

“What?!” Jasper practically yelled, snatching the flowers up and looking at the card.

                  Sorry for almost running you over with my car.

                           ~Peridot

“Where did she go? The girl?” Jasper asked frantically, heart thumping.

“She just left, you might be able to catch her,” Henry replied, bewildered. Jasper tossed the flowers back on the counter and ran outside, head whipping around in search of that green bug—there!

Jasper raced up to the car, tapping on the driver’s side window impatiently. She was still holding the card from the flowers. She could practically hear the surprised squeak from the short girl inside.

“O-oh, hello,” the girl stammered as she rolled down the window. Her eyes were even prettier than Jasper remembered.

“Are you Peridot?” Jasper asked breathlessly, holding up the card from the flowers, and a deep blush stained the smaller girl’s cheeks.

“Y-yeah,” Peridot replied, “And you must be Jasper.”

“Yeah,” Jasper nodded, her eyes bright. “I’m really glad I caught you.”

“Why?” Peridot asked, her cheeks redder than ever. “I nearly killed you last week.”

“Yeah, so?” Jasper shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for pretty girls.” As a flirting technique, it was a pretty bad one, but it did the trick; Peridot’s face turned, if possible, even redder, and a small grin formed on her lips.

“Th-thank you,” Peri managed to stammer out. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Jasper smirked broadly, her full lips parting to reveal perfect, white teeth.

“Thanks, Peri,” Jasper said, and Peridot’s grin widened at the nickname. Checking her watch, Jasper was surprised to see that she needed to get back to work. “Hey, I gotta go, but do you have a pen?”

“Oh, yeah,” Peri rummaged through her center console, the blush dying down. “Here.”

Jasper turned the flower card over and wrote her name and number on the back before handing it over to Peridot.

“Here, you should text me,” Jasper winked, smiling again. “We can grab coffee sometime.”

“O-oh, yeah, okay!” Peridot stuttered, the blush returning in full force as she took the number with a trembling hand. “Sounds good!”

“Okay then, I’ll see you around,” Jasper grinned, backing up to give Peridot room to drive away. “Try not to hit anyone this time.”

Peridot stuck her tongue out in a childish gesture before beginning to back out of her spot.

“Bye, Jasper!” she called just before she pulled away.

Jasper waved for a second before going back to work, hardly believing her luck. She could hardly wait until they met again.


	3. Of Butterflies and Rhinos

"It's been almost two weeks, Peridot," Lapis Lazuli quipped.

"Exactly!" Peri moaned, her voice muffled by her pillow. "She probably doesn't even remember me."

"Isn't she the one who gave you her number when you went to her work?" her roommate mused, sitting on the side of her mourning friend's bed. Peridot nodded into the pillow. "So shouldn't she be waiting for a call? Or a text? Anything, really."

At this, Peridot's head shot up, a glare aimed in Lapis' general direction. Her glasses were on the table, meaning she was as blind as could be, and could only vaguely make out the blue blur of Lapis' hair amidst the cluttered background of her room.

"You try working up the nerve to text a literal goddess!" Peridot hissed, flopping back into the pillow.

"A goddess?" Lapis asked dubiously. Peri nodded again.

"You didn't see her," Peri moaned, rolling onto her back to stare wistfully at the ceiling. "Tall, muscular...Long blonde hair...her eyes were golden, have you ever seen that? And her skin was dark but she had that skin condition, vitiligo I think it's called, that made light patches on her face and limbs. She had this voice, oh god, her voice..."

Lapis stared at her roommate blankly.

"I don't need to remind you that I'm aro, right?"

"You may not have any romantic interest," Peridot vexed, "but you're still gay as hell."

"True...but she doesn't sound like my type, really," the native Hawaiian mused. "I like girls that are smaller, you know, real petite."

"Yeah, but I'm telling you, Lazuli, Jasper could put Aphrodite to shame," Peridot insisted.

"Then text her, dummy," Lapis rolled her eyes, bored, and moved to get up.

"Are you kidding?!" Peri screeched. "Look at me! I'm nowhere near her level of attractiveness."

"Well, she must have seen something in you if she gave you her number," Lapis reasoned. "Maybe scrawny nerds are her type."

"Hey!" protested Peridot, scowling.

"If you don't text her, I will," Lapis warned, holding up Peridot's phone. The smaller girl squinted for a second before grabbing her glasses and slipping them on. As soon as she realized that Lazuli had her beloved android in her hand, her face paled.

"Give it back!" Peri exclaimed, leaping for it, but Lapis danced out of her reach smugly. "Stop messing with my things!"

"Are you gonna text her?" Lapis asked, holding the phone above her head. Peridot bit her lip anxiously.

"I don't know..."

Lazuli grinned and unlocked Peridot's phone, having known her password for ages, and went to the messages app.

"Text her," Lapis said, grunning like a shark. She turned the phone around, and to Peridot's horror, she had pulled up a new text message, already addressed to Jasper.

"Wait, Lazuli, don't!" Peridot pleaded, bolting up onto her knees. Lapis held the phone above her head as she typed, then showed Peridot the message.

hi ur really hot pls go out w me,

Peridot

"I don't even type like that!" Peri protested, and Lapis grinned smugly, her thumb hovering over the send button.

"She doesn't know that," the swimmer pointed out, and Peridot's heart lurched with the realization that _oh god Lazuli was really going to do it._

"Okay, stop!" Peridot begged, holding her hand out. "I'll text her, okay? Just, please don't send that text."

A moment of tense silence passed as Lapis pretended to think it over before shrugging and tossing the phone to its owner. Peridot scrambled to catch it, and it landed on her lap ungracefully.

"Be careful--!" Peridot began, but Lapis was already out the door.

With a heavy sigh, Peridot erased what her horrible roommate had written, composed a much less embarrassing message, and hit send. As soon as she finished her heart was pounding, already anxiously awaiting Jasper's response.

~

Jasper was curled up on the couch, staring blankly at the TV as it played some random show. Amethyst walked in, unbeknownst to Jasper, and catapulted over the back of the couch to plop next to her friend.

"Yo, Jaz," Amethyst greeted her, holding up her hand for their standard fist-bump. A second passed before Jasper turned her head, seeming to snap out of a trance.

"Oh, hey, Amethyst," Jasper dead panned, giving her a half-hearted fist-bump. The shorter girl raised an eyebrow.

"Dude, what's up with you?" Amethyst asked, getting a good look at Jasper's tired face. She looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"Nothing."

"Dude," Amethyst called her bluff easily, and Jasper sighed in frustration.

"I just--I can't get her outta my head!" Jasper exclaimed, throwing her hands up.

"Who? Peridot?" Amethyst checked, and Jasper shot her a glance.

"Yeah. She's like, all I can think about. Even when I'm working out."

"Dude," Amethyst said after a moment, "you've got it bad. Has she texted you yet?"

"No. It's been almost two weeks," Jasper groaned, grabbing her phone to check it. Her eyes widened as she realized she had a new text message from an unknown number. "Oh my god--dude! I think she texted me!"

"What?!" Amethyst practically yelled as Jasper shot into a sitting position. "What does it say?!"

Jasper opened the text with trembling hands, Amethyst watching over her shoulder.

_(###) ###-####: Hey Jasper, it's Peridot. I'm sorry I took so long to contact you; you're quite...attractive. If you're still up for getting coffee, I'd love to. Please text back soon! :) ~Peri_

"...ohmygodshelikesyou," Amethyst said in a rush, and Jasper immediately turned pink.

"What? No," Jasper protested, rubbing her neck. "Look, she probably is just being nice..."

"She also said she'd love to get coffee sometime!" Amethyst pointed out, and Jasper felt herself smile without meaning to.

"What should I say?" Jasper asked, putting Peridot's number in her phone and naming it 'Peri.'

"Don't reply right away!" Amethyst exclaimed, trying to snatch the phone away. "You'll look desperate!"

"This isn't high school anymore, Ame," Jasper scoffed, holding the phone out of reach. "I'll just say I'd like to get coffee. It's not a big deal."

"Dude! It is a big deal!" Amethyst protested.

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked.

"You really like her, right?" said Amethyst seriously.

"Well, yeah, but we've only met twice," Jasper replied.

"But how do you feel when you think of her?" Amethyst clarified. Jasper was quiet for a moment before replying.

"Like there's butterflies in my stomach, but worse," Jasper finally said. "Like, instead of butterflies, I've got trampling rhinos. But I also felt really calm and happy when I was with her--the second time, not when she almost killed me."

"Oh man, you've got it so bad," Amethyst practically cackled.

"So what?" Jasper scowled, then sighed. "Peri probably doesn't even like me that much. She probably only wants to go out for coffee because she still feels bad for almost hitting me with her car."

Amethyst sighed, tilting her head back in exasperation.

"Fine, have it your way," Amethyst relented. "But this is special. I can tell."

"How do you know?"

"Because that's exactly how I felt when I first met Pearl," Amethyst said with a grin. "And we've been together for three and a half years now."

"That doesn't mean anything," Jasper muttered, her cheeks burning.

"Maybe not, but maybe you've finally found someone for the long run."

"Maybe," Jasper blushed harder, beginning to text Peridot. Beside her, Amethyst grinned, getting up to give the poor woman some space.

_Me (Jasper Rossi): Hey Peri, I'd love to get coffee. How does 3:00 on Friday sound? I can pick you up, if you'd like. I'm not sure I would trust your driving ;P_

Hitting send, Jasper waited anxiously for her response. Mere seconds later, her phone beeped.

_Peri: Sounds awesome! I live in the apartments on diamond road, you know it? (although my driving is perfectly fine, thank you very much)_

Jasper smiled and typed out her response.

_Me (Jasper Rossi): Yeah, I know it. I'll be there at 2:30, okay?_

_Peri: Definitely! it's apartment 23B. I'm really excited :)_

_Me (Jasper Rossi): me too!_

And then, because she didn't want to be misunderstood,

_Me (Jasper Rossi): It's a date, then :)_

_Peri: Oh--yes! Absolutely! :D_

Jasper smiled and clicked her phone off, standing up and literally punching the air.

"Yes!" she yelled, and Amethyst poked her head out of the kitchen.

"What?" the native Venezuelan asked, already knowing the answer.

"I've got a date with Peri this Friday!" Jasper exclaimed, beaming.

"Nice!" Amethyst smiled. Jasper felt like she was on top of the world, and finally relaxed for the first time since giving Peridot her number.

~

Meanwhile, a few streets away, Peridot was already panicking over what she was going to wear.

God save her.


	4. Coffee Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A somewhat long chapter to make up for forcing you guys to wait so long for some action! Jasper and Peridot's first date, little babes.   
> Surprise, Peridot is just as terrible of a flirter as Jasper is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Milli Joe is a real place in my hometown, and I love it to death! If you're ever in central Virginia you should definitely look it up c:

“What the fuck am I supposed to wear?!” Peridot screeched, her fingers tangled in short mint hair. “I have nothing!”

For once, she was barely exaggerating. Her entire wardrobe was piled on her bed, and it seemed to be eighty percent flannels. Lapis Lazuli was sitting on a corner of Peridot’s bed not occupied with clothes, looking halfway between bored and amused. Her head was propped up on one of her hands as she watched her roommate’s clothing crisis.

“Better find something soon,” Lazuli mused, throwing a handful of chips in her mouth. “Jasper’ll be here in a couple hours.”

“Don’t remind me!” Peridot cried, pulling off her glasses to rub her eyes. “Lazuli, do you have anything I can wear?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Lapis said, rolling her eyes. “I have something, hold on.”

“What?!” Peridot squeaked. “You had something this whole time and you didn’t say anything?” Lapis shrugged.

“You didn’t ask.”

Peridot watched Lapis leave the room with her jaw hanging open. A moment later, and she was back, a bundle of clothes in her arms. Pausing for only a moment, Lazuli kicked a bunch of Peridot’s clothes off the bed so she could lay out the outfit.

“Hey!” Peridot protested as her clothes hit the ground, “Stop messing with my things!” Lapis ignored her as she stepped back to admire her work. A black pencil skirt, a floaty, green, sleeveless top, and a golden necklace lay there.

“A skirt?” Peridot asked dubiously, raising one eyebrow. “Don’t you think I’m a bit too…clumsy, to wear something like that?”

“You’ll be fine,” Lapis insisted. “Try it on.” She turned around to give Peridot some privacy.

Sighing, Peridot took off the towel she had wrapped around herself after a shower and pulled the skirt up over her one-of-a-kind prosthetics. She had built them herself, with a little help from the doctors to fit them properly, and they were her pride and joy. Waterproof, black and green titanium, comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time, and tough enough to take a few falls a week. Having lost her legs below the knee due to a car accident when she was young, Peridot had had plenty of time to get used to wearing prosthetics—she was just really fucking clumsy.

The short girl finished tugging the silky top on and turned to Lapis, who still had her back turned.

“Well?” Peridot prompted, and Lapis turned around, only to immediately snort and cover her mouth with one hand. Peridot’s cheeks burned. “What?”

“You’re supposed to tuck the top in,” Lapis giggled, coming closer. “Here, let me.”

Lapis tucked in the tank top, pulling and fidgeting with the fabric until it spilled out over the top of the high-waisted skirt the way it was apparently ‘supposed’ to. Once she had it to her liking, Lapis walked around Peridot, examining her closely, fixing the occasional thing. Coming back around to the front, Lapis scrutinized Peridot’s still-damp hair, running her fingers through the short tresses.

“What are you going to do with your hair?” she asked.

“Wh-what’s wrong with my hair?” Peridot stammered, hands coming up to touch it.

“Nothing’s _wrong_ with it,” Lapis sighed, pulling it this way and that. “I was just thinking you’d do something different than your usual leave-it-alone thing.”

“I don’t know, Lapis, I’m terrible with hair,” Peridot protested, tugging herself away from the girl’s probing hands.

“Let me do something to it, then.”

Peridot sighed, knowing her friend was much too stubborn to argue with, and let her guide her out to the bathroom. Picking up a brush, Lapis attacked Peridot’s messy bob with fervor, much to Peridot’s disgruntled annoyance. However, as Lapis braided her bangs back along the sides of her head and pinned them in place, she had to admit that it looked nice.

Now the only thing left to do was wait for Jasper.

~

“How does this look?” Jasper asked, coming out of her room while tugging on the hem of her skirt. Amethyst looked her up and down and frowned.

“You look really uncomfortable,” she said. “Go put on something you actually want to wear.”

Jasper scowled and disappeared back inside her room, tugging the dress and heels off, opting instead for dark-wash jeans, white top, and black leather jacket. Walking back out, she ran her fingers through her hair and fixed her collar.

“Way better,” Amethyst nodded sagely. “You should wear the combat boots.” Jasper smiled faintly, the butterflies and/or rhinos in her stomach wreaking havoc.

“Thanks, Ame,” Jasper said sincerely. She went to the bathroom and brushed her mane of hair, deciding to leave it down, and applied her typical winged eyeliner and mascara. Going back out to Amethyst, she turned around to show off her entire ensemble.

“Well?” Jasper asked, and Amethyst gave a thumbs up.

“You look great, dude,” the short girl said, checking her watch. “You should get going, though.”

Jasper looked at the microwave clock to see that she had forty minutes to make it to Peridot’s place—plenty of time, but she didn’t want to cut it too close. Jasper hated being late.

Pulling on her black combat boots, Jasper grabbed her keys and wallet and said goodbye to Amethyst.

“Go get ‘em, tiger!” Amethyst called as Jasper left the apartment. Jasper rolled her eyes, smiling slightly, as she made her way to her dark orange mustang and got in, sliding her sunglasses on as she started the car. Her smile grew, nerves fading, as she listened to the purr of her engine.

Cranking the music, Jasper pulled out of the lot towards Peridot’s apartment, excitement and anxiety playing equal parts in her brain.

A few minutes later, Jasper pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex Peridot had said she lived in, slowly cruising down the rows in search of her apartment. Finding it, she parked and killed the engine before taking an encouraging breath and stepping out.

A flight of steps and a couple short moments later, and Jasper was standing nervously outside apartment 23B. She took another deep breath, running her hand through her hair, and smoothing her jacket out. Attempting to squash the butterfly-rhinos in her stomach, Jasper raised her fist and knocked.

~

Peridot’s head snapped up when she heard the knock on the apartment door, shooting Lapis a panicked glance. Lazuli just smiled slightly and gave her a thumbs up before disappearing into her room and leaving Peridot to her own devices.  Trembling with nerves, Peridot slowly picked up her phone and slipped it into the little black purse that Lapis had loaned her before making her way to the door.

Her breath left her in a startled whoosh as she took in the actual goddess that stood there when she opened her door, mouth dropping open for several embarrassing moments before she managed to pull herself together. She had thought Jasper looked hot in a sweaty tank top and shorts, but it was only now, taking in the sight of her clad in tight jeans and a fitted leather jacket, that she realized just how fucking gorgeous the woman really was.

“Uh…h-hey,” Peridot managed to stammer out, her eyes finally finding their way up to Jasper’s face. Big mistake—her glorious golden eyes rendered her speechless once again. She knew her cheeks must be flaming red by now, even with the olive tint of her skin.

“Hi there, cutie,” Jasper smiled, seemingly cool as a fucking cucumber. “You ready for our date?”

Peridot swore her heart nearly burst out of her chest.

“Y-yeah,” she finally said, mortified as it came out in a tiny squeak. Her eyes fell to the floor in embarrassment.

“I’m excited,” Jasper said, and Peridot looked just in time to see the larger woman extending her hand for her to take. “Have you ever been to Milli Joe?”

“I don’t think so?” Peridot replied, shyly taking Jasper’s hand and allowing her to lead her out of the apartment and closing the door behind her. She left it unlocked for Lazuli to deal with, too preoccupied with the way Jasper’s fingers laced with her own as they began their descent to the parking lot.

“You’ll like it,” Jasper promised, flashing the shorter girl a smile. “It’s really cool. There’s a bunch of really comfy couches and armchairs, and the coffee’s really good. Plus, they serve waffles all day.”

“Sounds good,” Peri had to admit as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Jasper led her over to a burnt orange sports car, clicking a button on her key and making the lights flash. Peridot’s jaw dropped. “This is your car?” she breathed; although Peri knew next to nothing about cars, even she could tell it was a nice one.

“Yep, that’s my baby,” Jasper said fondly, leading Peridot to the passenger side and opening the door for her. Peridot slid into the comfy bucket seat, looking at the dashboard with a bit of awe, and Jasper closed her door before rounding the car to take her own seat. She started the car, and Peridot listened to the purr of the engine as she looked over at Jasper, who was smiling slightly as she carefully reversed out of the spot and began to drive.

“So, what do you do?” Jasper asked, and Peridot had to pull herself back from a daydream involving making out on the hood of the car.

“I’m a computer technician,” Peridot said, coughing to hide her embarrassment. “I work for a few different companies in the city, doing repair work, teaching them new programs, and occasionally dealing with a random hacker or virus.”

“Impressive.”

“What about you? Do you do anything else besides work at the gym?” Peri asked, still looking at Jasper’s face as she drove.

“Sometimes I volunteer at the animal shelter,” Jasper replied, turning onto a different road.

_Oh my god that’s so fucking cute,_ Peridot couldn’t help but think, a little grin appearing at the corners of her mouth, but she didn’t dare say it aloud.

“Do you have any pets?” she asked instead, and Jasper shook her head.

“I want to, but my apartment complex doesn’t allow pets,” Jasper told her, glancing over at the other girl. “You?”

“Same.”

The pair was quiet for a moment, but it wasn’t as awkward as Peridot feared, the soft music from the radio breaking the silence.

“Do you have any roommates?” Peridot asked, turning to look at her date once more.

“Yeah, I live with my old friend from college,” Jasper said, giving Peridot another glance. “Her name’s Amethyst. What about you?”

“Same, but I met Lapis in high school,” Peridot replied, “We’ve been friends for a while. Even if she annoys me half to death.”

Jasper chuckled, her generous lips curling up at the corners, and Peridot immediately had to fight back a fantasy of what else those lips could curl around. God damn, the girl was worse than a cat in heat.

“I know what you mean,” Jasper said, pulling Peridot back to the present. “Amethyst’s girlfriend is over every other night. I learned to invest in earbuds ages ago.”

It was Peridot’s turn to laugh, one hand coming up to cover her mouth while she snorted inelegantly.

“Luckily for me, Lapis is aromantic, and when she does hook up, she’s usually decent enough to do so elsewhere. She said it’s easier to escape if and when the other girl starts looking for more,” Peridot explained. Jasper nodded.

“Honestly, I’m used to Amethyst and Pearl at this point,” Jasper conceded. “Pearl is nice, anyways. She keeps me company when Amethyst is sleeping. Which is a lot of the time. I swear, she’s like, part sloth or something.”

Peridot laughed again, imagining a sloth draped across a couch while Jasper looked on in disdain.

“I take it you’re an early riser,” Peridot assumed, and Jasper nodded.

“So’s Pearl.”

“It’s nice both our roommates are gay,” Peri mused, “Straight people can be so annoying sometimes. Like, I swear, if I had a nickel for every time a straight boy asked me how lesbians have sex, I’d be able to afford a yacht.”

“Tell me about it!” Jasper laughed, “And guys at the gym are even worse, constantly trying to hit on the girls. It’s like, dude, she’s just trying to work out, leave her alone. I’ve actually had to kick a couple guys out.”

“It’s a good thing you’re there to protect them,” Peridot half-joked. “If I was a straight dude, I’d be scared of you. You’re practically a goddess.”

“Aw, shut up,” Jasper said, blush threatening to spill into her cheeks.

“I’m serious!” Peridot replied. “Look at yourself! You’re fucking gorgeous, Jasper.” The shorter girl blushed as she said this, looking down at her hands. “At least, I think so.”

“Well, thank you,” Jasper said, her cheeks officially burning. “But look at you—you’re beautiful. I haven’t been able to get you out of my head, actually.”

“Th-thanks,” Peridot stammered, her stupidly gay heart fluttering. “You too.”

The pair was saved from the increasingly awkward flirting when Jasper pulled into a parking spot outside of a small shop and killed the engine. Coffee filled Peridot’s nose as soon as she opened her door, and she breathed in the rich smell eagerly.

“It smells great,” Peridot commented as she waited for Jasper, who locked the car and pocketed the keys before joining her on the sidewalk. The taller of the two nodded as she took Peridot’s hand in her own.

“Yeah,” she smiled, beginning to lead the way.

Inside, the air was warm and thick with the aroma of a dozen different roasts interspersed with chocolate, hazelnut, and caramel, along with other delicious things Peridot couldn’t identify right away. It was rather dim, lending a soft, romantic feel to the shop, and quiet music trickled down from speakers hidden in the rafters. Plush, mismatched chairs and sofas lingered around the tiny room, a few occupied with people quietly reading, writing, or working. The entire shop had a serene, almost hazy feel to it, and Peridot found herself relaxing significantly.

Jasper made her way to the counter, where a girl with dyed-blue hair, piercings, and tattoos stood.

“Hi, welcome to Milli Joe’s,” the girl said, her voice quiet so as to not disturb the peace. “My name is Beryl, how can I help you today?”

“Hi, thank you,” Jasper murmured. “Can I please have a large vanilla latte, frozen, with a pump of caramel, and whipped cream? And…” she looked down at Peridot, who realized she was supposed to order, too.

“Um, just a black coffee, please,” she ordered.

“What kind would you like?” Beryl asked as she punched in the order. At Peridot’s hesitation, she gestured to a small stand to her left, listing the different roasts. “I recommend the Arabian, but if you like something a bit stronger, the Brazilian blend is a good choice.”

“Oh, um, I’ll try the Brazilian, then,” Peridot stammered shyly. She was terrible with making decisions like this!

“Is a medium okay?”

“Yes, please,” Peri managed to get out, nearly sighing in relief once she was finished.

“Okay, is that all for you two?” Beryl looked up, and Jasper nodded, her card already out. “Okay, that’ll be $8.76, please.”

Peridot reached for her purse, but stopped when Jasper’s arm looped around her shoulders comfortably.

“Don’t worry babe, I got it,” Jasper murmured to her, and Peridot felt herself blush, nodding slightly.

Jasper finished paying and took back her card before leading Peridot, still under her arm, to a secluded corner. She sat down on a comfy loveseat, pulling Peridot down with her until the nerd was pressed against her side. She shifted slightly to get comfortable, but didn’t move even an inch farther away from the larger girl.

Peridot found it easier to talk to Jasper when she wasn’t looking her right in the face, she noticed, as they began to converse once again.

“You really like sweet drinks, huh?” Peridot teased as Beryl brought them their coffee. Jasper shrugged innocently.

“What can I say? They’re my guilty pleasure,” Jasper admitted, taking a long sip through the bright red straw and smiling. Peridot simply shook her head as she blew on her black coffee to cool it before taking a sip. The rich flavor exploded across her tongue, and she hummed appreciatively.

“I figured someone who apparently spends all of her time at the gym would be a little more health conscious,” Peridot smirked slightly, earning her a light, playful shove.

“A little indulgence every once in a while isn’t going to kill anybody,” Jasper sniffed. Peridot smiled.

“Yeah, yeah.”

A few minutes passed as the pair enjoyed their drinks, then Peridot shifted once more so she could look at Jasper. Her legs were repositioned across her date’s broad lap as she leaned against the arm or the loveseat, and Jasper glanced down curiously.

“Where did you get your prosthetics?” Jasper asked, looking at her. “I’ve never seen any like them.”

“I made them,” Peridot replied, fighting to keep the smugness out of her voice. No one liked a braggart.

“You—you made them?!” Jasper nearly gasped, her golden eyes widening. “How in the –that’s incredible! Where did you learn to do something like that?”

“I just kind of…taught myself,” Peridot said, smiling at the obvious wonder in Jasper’s voice. “I had to get help from my doctor to get the fit right, though.”

“You taught yourself how to build functioning bio-limbs?” Jasper’s eyebrows were raising so high that they were threatening to disappear into her wild hair.

“Not just prosthetics,” the smaller girl grinned. “I make robots, too. Have since I was eleven. And these guys do more than just let me walk—they’re waterproof, and able to function as both day-to-day limbs and as athletic ones, should I ever need them. I built in some better suspension than most prostheses have to relieve some stress on my joints, and I even have some limited control over the motion of the foot.”

“You’re joking,” Jasper said flatly, and Peridot’s grin widened.

“Nope, look.”  Peridot flexed the ankle joint in her robotic limb, and her foot bobbed up and down. The movement was a bit jerky and uncoordinated, but it was leagues more than most prosthetics were capable of.

“How the hell…?” Jasper murmured, laying her hand almost reverently on Peridot’s lap, just above the socks that covered her stumps to cushion them from the prostheses’ sockets.

“Top-of-the-line technology,” Peridot informed her, and tapped her forehead. “It’s difficult to explain, but I basically have a very limited form of telekinetic control. It has to do with electrical signals of my brain that are transmitted through a tiny circuit board implanted in my forehead.”

Jasper looked up, astonished, and saw a tiny, almost triangular-shaped scar on Peridot’s forehead. Her jaw dropped open slightly.

“That’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen,” she said seriously, meeting Peridot’s gaze. “ _You’re_ the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.” The line was almost over-the-top in terms of cheesiness, but Peridot couldn’t help the pleased blush that warmed her face.

“Th-thank you,” Peri murmured, suddenly shy again. Jasper gently tucked a lock of her green hair behind her ear, causing her to look up and notice the flush present on Jasper’s cheeks as well.

“Don’t mention it,” Jasper breathed, and for a moment, it was just the two of them, trapped in a bubble, as green eyes searched gold and gold searched green.

Peridot was the one to break the spell, dropping her gaze with a flustered noise, and they were just as suddenly back to normal.

“So…um, where are you from?” Peridot’s voice was a tiny sound, her heart hammering. _Oh god why am I so gay? Why is she so hot?_

“Oh, I’m originally from Brazil,” Jasper muttered, apparently just as discombobulated as Peridot. “But, my dad is Samoan. What about you?”

“Samoan? Wow, he was pretty far from home if you were born in Brazil,” Peridot mused, and Jasper nodded.

“Yeah, he was on a business trip when he met my mom,” Jasper told her. “She’s native Brazilian, too. They divorced when I was seven, so I lived with my mom and only saw my dad once in a blue moon.”

“I’m sorry,” Peridot murmured, unsure of what to say.

“No, no, it’s alright,” Jasper assured her, smiling. “I was always closer to my mom anyways. We moved to America when I was fourteen, so I could get a better education. That’s why I’m here, anyways. I go to the university.”

“Oh, really?” Peridot asked, excitement lighting up her eyes. “Me too! What year are you?”

“I’m only going part time, since I have to support myself completely,” Jasper said, “So I’m in my fourth year, even though I’m twenty-three.”

“Cool, me too!” Peri replied, smiling. “Well, the fourth year part. I’m twenty-one, though. I managed to get an academic scholarship, so all I have to worry about is rent and food.” Peridot laughed, and Jasper decided she really loved the way Peri’s nose crinkled when she did so.

“Congrats,” Jasper said with a smile, getting distracted for a few moments by the dark green of Peridot’s eyes. “…what were we talking about again?”

“Hmm?” Peridot hummed, similarly entranced by Jasper’s face. “Oh, where I’m from. Right. Well, I’m from here, but my parents are from Vietnam.”

“Nice. What’s your last name, anyways?” Jasper wondered aloud.

“Nguyen. You?”

“I took my mom’s maiden name after the divorce. Rossi,” Jasper said. Peridot nodded, but had to stifle a yawn; the heat and serenity of the shop was beginning to get to her. Picking her mug back up, Peridot chased away the sleepiness with a few gulps of the dark liquid.

“I can’t believe you like your coffee with nothing in it,” Jasper noted with some astonishment, and Peridot swore she felt a lightbulb go off over her head as a (rather dumb) pickup line popped into her mind.

“Yeah, well, I like my coffee how I like my women,” Peridot began, setting her cup down. “Dark and from Brazil.”

Jasper had been taking a sip of her drink when Peridot’s line hit home, and she sputtered inelegantly, slapping a hand over her mouth to keep from spraying the latte everywhere. Peridot grinned as she watched Jasper flush deeper than she ever had before, hurriedly reaching for a napkin and wiping at her red face. Peridot decided then and there that making Jasper flustered was her new favorite pastime.

“God dammit, Peri,” Jasper finally managed to cough, turning to look at her. “At least warn me before you go all gay on me.”

“That’d be a warning every time I saw you,” Peridot shot back, satisfied to see the blush on Jasper’s cheeks deepen.

“Fucking hell,” Jasper swore quietly, dragging a hand down her burning face. “You’re killing me here.”

Peridot giggled, a sound that Jasper immediately decided should be illegal based solely on how fucking cute it was, and shrugged innocently. Jasper was met with the sudden, strong urge to push Peridot into the couch and kiss her until they were both gasping for breath. Unconsciously, Jasper bit her lip, and Peridot lost her tentative confidence as quickly as she had gained it as every nerve in her body yearned for those teeth to bite her lip instead.

Glancing at their cups, Peridot realized they had both drained their respective drinks, and slid her legs off of Jasper’s lap.

“Do you want to go?” she asked, unwilling to admit she needed to get home so she could take care of the very sudden, very intense heat between her legs. Jasper nodded and stood to clear their table, putting the mug in the dish bin and her plastic cup in the recycling. Turning, Jasper draped an arm around Peridot’s shoulders as they made their way out to the car, the taller once again holding the door for Peri.

Jasper got in and turned up the music slightly, pulling out in the direction of Peridot’s apartment. Peridot seemed lost in thought, but her body was turned towards Jasper, which she took as a good sign. The date had gone pretty damn well as far as first dates went, and Jasper was already eager for a second one, but she didn’t want to push her luck. So, as she was turning onto the main road, she laid a casual hand on Peridot’s leg, carefully keeping it an appropriate distance from the bottom of that (illegally snug-fitting) skirt she was wearing.

The smaller of the girls jumped slightly in surprise, her gaze flitting down to Jasper’s hand, before she smiled and placed her own, much smaller hand on top. She curled her fingers over Jasper’s, thumb rubbing circles across her knuckles, calloused from years of boxing.

Peridot decided that she very much liked Jasper, and hoped that the other girl felt the same.

It felt like no time at all before they were back at Peridot’s place and Jasper was killing the engine.

“Would you like to walk me up?” Peridot asked hesitantly. She didn’t want to send the wrong message; she liked Jasper, she really, truly did, but she didn’t want to move too quickly. Jasper, however, seemed to understand, and nodded with a small smile.

Jasper and Peridot walked hand in hand up the apartment steps until they came to Peridot’s door.

“So…I had a really nice time today,” Peridot began, fidgeting with her hands slightly. Her back was pressed against the door.

“I did, too,” Jasper murmured, her voice husky. One of her big hands slowly curled around Peridot’s waist, and the younger girl looked up at her with big, shining eyes. “I’d like to go out again.”

“Me too,” Peridot responded, her voice barely more than a whisper. Slowly, her hands reached up, eyes searching Jasper’s face, and wrapped around her neck. Jasper steadied herself with a hand on the door behind Peridot, the other tightening on her waist—just a little.

“Can I kiss you?” Jasper rasped, and Peridot’s eyes closed with a sharp intake of breath.

“Stars, _yes_ …” she breathed, tilting her face upwards. Jasper’s hand on the door moved to cup her cheek, and her thumb rubbed soothingly over her warm cheeks.

And then Jasper’s lips were on hers, soft and warm, surprisingly gentle, her hand shifting into her hair, undoing the braids that Lapis had done. Peridot sighed slightly, mouth moving with Jasper’s in a kind of slow, chaste dance, fingers scratching lightly along her scalp. Jasper tasted like overly sweet lattes, and a scent of cinnamon and orange slices clung to her warm brown skin. Peridot found herself craving more even as she pressed closer.

All too soon, Jasper pulled back, taking in a breath of air, her dilated eyes staring into hers. Peridot looked back for only a moment before rising onto her tiptoes to bring their lips together once more, her fingers tangling harder into Jasper’s hair. She was rewarded with a stifled gasp, both of Jasper’s hands sliding around to press flat against her back. Their kiss deepened slightly, and Peridot swore she was going to combust soon if she didn’t do something about it. Jasper was pushing her against the door, her teeth biting her lower lip and drawing a whine out of her throat, hands roaming over her back—

And then Jasper stiffened, drawing away slightly, and Peridot was left panting, chest heaving, leaning heavily on the door. For a moment, she felt cheated, until her brain caught up with her body and her cheeks darkened with embarrassment.

“I, um…wow.” Was Peridot’s oh-so-clever word choice, and Jasper grinned slightly.

“Wow,” she agreed hoarsely, one hand raising to brush Peridot’s cheek. “That was…”

“Exquisite,” sighed Peridot, then turned her head to kiss Jasper’s palm. “However, it is only the first date…”

“I agree completely,” Jasper murmured, and Peridot looked up at her. “It’s the first date, and we don’t want to move too fast. Right?”

“Right,” Peridot nodded.

“But,” Jasper added, “hopefully it won’t be the last date. And, we can pick this up whenever we’re ready.”

“Yeah,” Peri breathed, and Jasper kissed her again, softly this time, big hands cupping her face. Peridot smiled into the kiss.

“So…there’ll be a next time?” Peridot checked hopefully when they broke apart again, and Jasper’s eyes softened.

“There will definitely be a next time,” she promised, and kissed her nose sweetly. “However, for now, I should get going.”

Peridot checked her watch, shocked to see that over two hours had passed since Jasper had picked her up, and nodded.

“Yeah. Text me, okay?”

“I will,” Jasper smiled, giving her one last kiss before pulling away entirely and descending down the stairs with a parting wave. Peridot was suddenly too aware of herself, the sweat clinging to her chest, the dryness of her throat, the ache between her thighs. With a small curse, Peridot darted inside the apartment, heading for her bedroom and the small vibe she kept stashed there.

She _really_ needed to let off some steam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you have no idea how hard it is for me to write slow burn...the next chapter may or may not have Peri fucking herself to fantasies of her new date...haven't decided yet. comment if i should write that or not! :0


	5. Blowing Off Steam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot fucks herself to fantasies of Jasper
> 
> that's it, basically

Peridot was relieved beyond words to see that Lapis was out for the time being, shutting herself in her room and locking the door behind her. She sagged against the door for a moment, her heart hammering. She was getting wrapped up something fierce in Jasper’s world, wasn’t she?

It was then that Peridot realized just how _wet_ she was, her panties clinging to her and her inner thighs slick under the skirt. Quickly, she stripped off said garment and her shirt, throwing them on the floor to deal with later, and crawled onto her bed, laying on her back. Her hands immediately settled on her small breasts, a soft sigh escaping her as she allowed herself to relax and enjoy herself.

Sitting up, Peridot unclipped her bra and swiftly discarded it, settling back down, hands covering her small breasts entirely. Another small sigh left her as she palmed her nipples; she should be embarrassed about how quickly she could feel her arousal spreading, but she was past the point of caring.

As she allowed her hands to roam, pinching and twisting her nipples and teasing her belly, Jasper consumed her thoughts. She imagined how the larger girl’s hands could just swallow her up, and moaned softly. Reaching down, she palmed herself through her soaked underwear, imagining how Jasper would tease her.

_“You’re this wet from just a bit of kissing?”_ she’d say, rubbing her so deliciously over the thin fabric of her panties. Peridot’s hips jerked upwards as her fingers pressed against her clit, thinking of how Jasper would chuckle at her eagerness.

Impatiently, Peridot all but ripped off her underwear, her legs spreading for her imaginary Jasper. Her hand returned to her dripping core—wet, wet, fuck, she was _wet—_ imagining that it was Jasper circling her clit. Peridot’s eyes were closed, one hand on her breast as the other rubbed over her cunt, and she could practically _feel_ Jasper’s golden gaze on her.

“Jasper…” Peridot murmured, her hips bucking. “Please…”

_“Please what?”_ her fantasy whispered, teasing her entrance with her fingers. Peridot whimpered, her hips desperately trying to chase imaginary digits.

“Please…fuck me!” Peridot moaned, and she imagined how Jasper’s eyes would glint, plunging two fingers into her searing heat with a strangled gasp. Her back arched as she fucked herself, imagining Jasper leaning over her, peppering her neck with kisses, murmuring how good she looked in her ear.

Fuck, she was so close already, feeling that familiar coil of heat curl in her gut. Gasping, she forced herself to stop, imagining how Jasper would look at her when she groaned in frustration.

“Jasper!” she panted, pretending that the other girl had stopped just as she was about to cum.

_“What do you want?”_ she’d tease, slowly rubbing over her cunt. Peridot moaned, canting her hips up to hands that weren’t really there, her own fingers a poor substitute for what she imagined Jasper’s could do.

“This—please—” she gasped, eyes cracking open, rolling over to rummage in her bedside drawer, quickly finding the green vibrator she kept stashed there.

_“Is this what you want?”_ she could hear Jasper’s smirk as she held up the dildo, keeping Peridot’s hips in place with one hand as she switched the toy on. As Peridot pressed the smooth surface to her clit, she imagined how Jasper would smile at the way her hips automatically bucked up to meet the vibrations, and a groan escaped her as the pleasure surged up her spine.

“Jasp…hah…” she panted, sliding the toy up and down her soaked slit. “Please…oh, fuck…”

_“You want me to fuck you with this?”_ Jasper would ask, teasing her entrance with the head of the toy, and she nodded with a gasp that sounded more like a sob. _“You want me to fuck you so hard you can’t walk?”_

“Fuck, yes!” Peridot groaned. “Please!”

_“Say it. Say what you want me to do to you.”_

“I want you to fuck me!” Peridot finally begged, frustrated tears threatening to form in her clenched eyes.

She imagined that Jasper might take pity on her then, might look her in the eyes as she sank the vibrator deep inside her, biting that full lower lip as Peridot’s cunt eagerly swallowed the toy. Peridot cried out as she fed the toy inside herself, her thighs twitching as the welcome intrusion sent vibrations throughout her body.

_“That’s it, Peri,”_ imaginary Jasper praised, and her hips bucked harder. _“You look so good when I fuck you.”_

Peridot’s breath was coming in gasps as her pelvis thrust up to meet the toy each time she plunged it in, stars bursting behind closed eyelids as it brushed her g-spot on each pass.

“Fuck, I’m c-close…” Peridot managed to get out as her body began to tremble, and her other hand hovered over her neglected, aching clit. “Please, Jasper!”

_“You want to cum?”_ Jasper would say, teasing her once more. She imagined how the woman would circle her clit, never quite touching her directly, and did the same with her free hand.

“Fuck, please!” Peridot gasped, her hips stuttering against the toy. She imagined how Jasper would smirk as she finally rubbed her clit, her body tightening as she did so.

_“Cum for me, Peridot.”_

Her breath was knocked out of her as she thrust the toy in one last time, holding it deep inside, against her g-spot. The vibrations felt as though they were going to tear her apart at the seams, her mouth opening in a silent scream, as she rubbed her clit.

Peridot came with a strangled moan of Jasper’s name, her entire body arching off the sheets, clenching down on the toy so deliciously. A burst of light accompanied the release, her hips stuttering with the intensity. She could feel the fluids dripping down her ass to soak into the sheets, but she couldn’t be bothered to give a hot damn about the linens when fantasy Jasper was fucking her into a stupor.

She relaxed with a long sigh, sliding the toy out and turning it off. Her hand idly stroked her clit to bring herself down from the high, her mind already clouding over with the haze of afterglow. Eyes fluttering open, she groaned as she saw her toy, knowing she would have to get up and clean it, but unwilling to leave her bed.

_Five minutes,_ Peridot thought to herself, rolling to a dry section of her full-sized bed and laying the dildo on the nightstand. She sighed in post-coital bliss, ignoring the bit of her brain that wanted cuddles _right now, dammit,_ and closed her eyes.

~

Peridot woke up to impatient knocking on her bedroom door, Lazuli’s voice drifting through.

“Hello? Peridot?” Lapis called, and she groaned as she sat up. Her gaze landed on the dildo on her dresser, then Lapis’ clothes that were crumpled on the floor. Panicked, Peridot jumped up, only to stumble as her jelly-legs refused to support her. Forcing herself to move, Peridot hid the still un-cleaned toy in her dresser and scrambled to pick up the borrowed clothes, throwing on an oversized t-shirt in the process.

“One second!” Peridot called, casting another look around her room. Her bed was pretty disheveled, giving away her earlier activities, and she cursed under her breath, rushing to straighten out the sheets as best she could. Finally, she felt safe enough to open the door.

“Hey, Lazuli,” Peridot greeted her, and said girl raised her eyebrows.

“Well?” she asked, and Peridot’s head tilted in confusion. “How was it?”

“How—how was what?” Peridot panicked, thinking of what she had just been doing. Lapis rolled her eyes.

“The date, dummy,” she drawled, and Peridot nearly sagged in relief.

“Oh, it was great,” she answered with a smile. “Jasper’s really cool. I really like her.”

“I can tell,” Lapis smirked, pretending to wave a scent away from her nose. “Spray some febreze next time you fuck yourself to fantasies of her, your room reeks of sex.”

Peridot’s jaw dropped open, her face burning with the blush that instantly surfaced, as Lapis plucked her clothes from her arms and sauntered off to her room, leaving a thoroughly embarrassed Peridot behind.

A few moments ticked by before said girl cursed and went to clean both herself and the toy up, muttering darkly all the while.

~

Jasper sat on the couch, idly flipping through channels on the tv. Amethyst sighed as she walked out of her room, work outfit on.

“Heading out?” Jasper asked, and the other girl nodded.

“Work. Six to two.”

“Long night,” commented Jasper, and Amethyst nodded again.

“Rather work that than get up early,” she grumbled, and Jasper grinned. “Oh, hey, how’d the date go?”

“Amazing,” Jasper sighed, a dreamy look crossing over her face. “Peridot’s so cool. Well, not really, she’s actually a huge nerd, but I really like her.”

“What’d you guys talk about?”

“A bunch of stuff, getting to know each other, you know, first date stuff. Where we’re from, what we do, stuff like that. She goes to the university, too.”

“Oh, cool! What year?” Amethyst asked, hoisting her bag higher up her shoulder.

“Senior,” answered Jasper. “She’s your age.”

“Cougar,” Amethyst immediately teased, and Jasper rolled her eyes.

“Isn’t Pearl, like, thirty?” Jasper shot back, and Amethyst stuck her tongue out.

“She’s twenty-four, thank you very much,” Amethyst sniffed, feigning offence. “Three years is basically nothing.”

“Then you have no room to judge me,” Jasper scoffed. “Peri’s only two years younger than me.”

Amethyst smiled as they teased one another, glad to see her friend looking so happy.

“Well, I gotta go,” Amethyst said, checking her watch. “You should text her.”

“Probably,” Jasper agreed, waving Amethyst out the door. “Have fun.”

“I won’t,” Amethyst promised, and Jasper chuckled.

As the door closed behind her, Jasper decided that Amethyst was right—she should text Peridot to tell her how much fun she had had on their date. Her cheeks heated up as she remembered their kiss, how soft and warm Peridot was, the tiny sounds that escaped her.

_Me (Jasper Rossi): hey peri, I had an awesome time today. I think I may really like you : > _

It was only a few minutes before she got a reply, but it felt like an eternity to Jasper.

_Peri: I think that saying ‘I like you’ would be an understatement. I very much enjoyed our time together._

Jasper smiled like a goofy teenager with their first crush.

_Me (Jasper Rossi): I’m glad :) what have you been up to since I left?_

_Peri: nothing much. I washed my sheets and cleaned my room._

Jasper raised one eyebrow, wondering why Peridot chose to spend her Friday evening doing chores, but let it slide. To each their own, she supposed.

_Me (Jasper Rossi): sounds kinda boring tbh :P_

_Peri: you’d be surprised. What about you?_

_Me (Jasper Rossi): watching tv. I went for a run, too. I had to blow off some steam after our kiss ;)_

_Peri: I was in the same predicament._

Jasper blushed, her mind wandering to places far too dirty for just one date.

_Me (Jasper Rossi): was?_

_Peri: my roommate was out. I…took care of it._

Jasper nearly dropped her damn phone, blushing clear down to her collarbones, as her mind took the idea and ran with it. She could practically see how Peridot would look spread out on her bed, flushed and ready, eyes half-lidded.

_Me (Jasper Rossi): …holy fuck, Peri_

_Peri: what can I say? You’re insanely attractive._

_Me (Jasper Rossi): and that’s insanely hot_

_Peri: why else do you think I would be washing sheets on a Friday evening? ;)_

Jasper really did drop her phone that time, the device clattering against the hardwood floors. Her entire body was warm as she imagined Peridot leaking onto the sheets as she touched herself. The fact that Peri did so while apparently thinking of Jasper made it all the better.

Breathing slightly harder than necessary, Jasper picked up her phone to reply, suddenly very aware of the way her crossed legs applied a wonderful pressure against her core.

_Me (Jasper Rossi): I think I need another run. Or a cold shower. Holy fuck_

_Peri: orrrrrr you could just do what I did. Much more fun._

Jasper nearly choked on her own spit, eyes widening. Peri wasn’t wrong, though. She had over eight hours before anyone would be home. She bit her lip, wondering if it made her a bad person to want to do this right after a first date.

_Me (Jasper Rossi): …my roommate just went to work…_

_Peri: I bet you’d look so good while you fuck yourself._

That did it.

In a flash, Jasper was up and practically running to her room, quickly locking the door and stripping. She was still so worked up that she knew it wouldn’t take more than a few minutes to cum, and she sent one last text to Peridot.

_Me (Jasper Rossi): I didn’t peg you as the type to say something like that. Not that I’m complaining_

_Peri: I’m not usually…it’s easier to say over text._

_Me (Jasper Rossi): fuck…I’ll text you in a few minutes. ps: I completely blame you for this_

_Peri: that’s fair ;)_

Jasper tossed her phone on the dresser and lay back, forgoing any foreplay whatsoever, immediately dragging two fingers through her dripping folds.

“Fuck…” she hissed, surprised at just how wet she was. Her touch felt electric, pleasure surging through her body, and her head fell back. Peridot’s face filled her thoughts as she rolled her fingers over her clit, mouth dropping open.

Already, Jasper was close, her earlier, kiss-induced arousal roaring through her, and moans fell from her lips as she eagerly rubbed her soaked cunt.

“Ah…Peridot…” Jasper groaned, two fingers easily slipping inside. She fucked herself with fervor, remembering the way Peridot’s mouth had felt under hers, the way she had breathed ‘yes’ when Jasper asked to kiss her.

Jasper could feel her orgasm winding her tighter and tighter, her eyes clenched shut as she imagined Peridot hovering over her, and her breath came in short gasps. She couldn’t even begin to feel embarrassed over how fast she was cumming when it felt so damn good.

“Peridot!” Jasper cried, her body arching off the bed as she tumbled over the edge. Her fingers relocated to her clit, rubbing fervently as she came with a rush of fluids. Pleasure rocked her frame, and she shuddered harshly when she settled back down, her fingers slowing down before stopping completely.

Sitting up slightly, Jasper grimaced at the soaked sheets—this was why she was trying to avoid doing this earlier. She always made a mess and had to clean it up.

With a sigh, Jasper got up to wash the bedding and take another shower. Spotting her phone, she paused to text Peri.

_Me (Jasper Rossi): you’re right, that was much more fun than running_

_Peri: that was fast :0_

_Me (Jasper Rossi): what can I say? I’m a sucker for pretty girls : >_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the first of the smut! there's more to come (haha) once they've been dating for a bit!


	6. Awkward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot is embarrassed about her texting/sexting escapades. Jasper assumes she's pushed her too far. Awkward miscommunication ensues, but it's all good by the end of the chapter, because I'm a softie who can't handle angst.
> 
> Also, (good) talk about consent and boundaries.

A day passed.

Two days.

Peridot re-read her and Jasper's text conversations again and again, worry creasing her brow and teeth nibbling her lower lip. She was too forward, she knew it. She shouldn't have sent those texts. She should have listened to her gut, the uncomfortable feeling she got whenever she was about to do something too risky.

Dammit.

Jasper probably hated her now, or at the very least thought she was entirely too pushy. She shouldn't have told Jasper she'd touched herself after their date; after all, it was only the first date! How much more desperate could she possibly be?!

Peridot rested her head in her hands and groaned. She was such an idiot sometimes.

 ~

Jasper sighed as she read the texts over and over again. It had been two days since she had last heard from Peridot, and she was beginning to panic. She shouldn’t have told Peridot that she wanted to fuck herself after their date; it was hardly proper etiquette. Then again, Peridot had technically started it…

With a loud groan, Jasper flopped back onto the couch in the living room. Amethyst looked over from her place at the kitchen counter, where she was eating a peanut-butter-and-pickle sandwich.

“What’s up, dude?” Amethyst asked around a messy mouthful of food.

“Peridot,” Jasper replied gloomily.

“Whatcha mean? I thought the date went great,” Amethyst sounded surprised, and finished her sandwich before coming to sit next to Jasper, who grimaced at the smell of pickles.

“It did,” Jasper bemoaned, unlocking her phone and scrolling through her and Peridot’s texts. “It was amazing. We talked about everything, and she’s funny and smart and interesting. And at the end, I kissed her, and that was amazing, too. But then I texted her, and, well…here, you can read it yourself.”

Jasper handed the phone to her best friend, who began to read silently. This was nothing new to them; the pair shared everything in vivid detail, as best friends do. Jasper had heard one too many stories about Amethyst’s trysts with Pearl, and the shorter girl had heard her fair share of Jasper’s past relationships. The two were basically sisters.

“So what’s the problem?” Amethyst asked as she finished and handed Jasper’s phone back. “You guys had a good date, you made out, and you both fucked yourselves afterwards.”

“Yeah, but that was two days ago!” Jasper exclaimed, locking her phone and throwing it on the coffee table. “I haven’t heard anything from her since then!”

“Don’t you think you might be overreacting?” Amethyst raised one dark eyebrow, relaxing into the couch.

“Maybe,” Jasper muttered, picking her phone back up to look at it, then setting it back down. “I guess I’m just worried because we only started actually going on dates a few days ago.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty soon into it.”

“But we’ve already admitted to…ya know,” Jasper pointed out, running a hand through her hair. “Doesn’t that make it a little different than if we had kept quiet about it?”

“Well,” Amethyst began, scratching her head, “yeah, maybe. But you guys are probably both worried that you upset the other. Why don’t you just text her and see what’s up?”

“What if I did upset her?”

“You won’t know unless you talk to each other,” Amethyst advised. “Communication is the key to any relationship. Pearl and I would’ve flunked years ago if we couldn’t talk.”

“I guess you’re right,” Jasper muttered, picking up her phone once more. “I’ll text her. What should I say?”

“Say something like, ‘hey, I’m sorry if I upset you, I didn’t mean to. You wanna go out this weekend?’ and then a smiley face,” Amethyst suggested, Jasper copying her words verbatim. After adding a smiley, Jasper took a breath and hit ‘send.’

“Now what?” Jasper asked anxiously.

“Just chill and wait for her response,” Amethyst said. “If she’s as big of a computer nerd as you say, it probably won’t be long.”

 ~

“Lapis!” Peridot called, her voice shrill with panic. “Lapis, Jasper texted me!”

“So?” Lapis emerged from her room, brushing her teeth and wearing nothing but boxers and a large t-shirt. Her voice was muffled from toothpaste, and her dyed-blue hair was wrapped up in a towel.

“So what do I do?!” Peridot yelled frantically, waving her phone around.

“Dude, chill,” Lapis muttered, walking over and perching herself on the arm of Peridot’s chair. “What does it say?”

“’Hey, I’m sorry if I upset you, I didn’t mean to. You wanna go out this weekend?’” Peridot read out loud. “And there’s a smiley face and then a kissy face.”

“How’d she upset you?” Lazuli asked, trying to grab the phone to read, only for Peridot to hold it out of her reach.

“She didn’t,” Peridot replied. “I thought I’d upset her. There was this weird text thing that happened…uh…”

“Just spit it out, Peri,” Lapis sighed, rolling her eyes. “I already know you masturbated right after the date.”

Peridot’s cheeked flushed a deep red, and she coughed self-consciously.

“Yes. Well. I may have told Jasper that,” Peri mumbled. “And she said that she wanted to, so I may have encouraged her to do so, and she may have done it.”

“So?”

“So then I didn’t hear from her for two days, and now she’s apologizing and wanting to go out again!” Peridot exclaimed, astonished that Lapis didn’t seem worried. In fact, she looked bored.

“So let me get this straight,” Lazuli said, standing up and heading to the kitchen. Peridot heard her spit in the kitchen sink and frowned—that was so unnecessary—and then the water running for a moment. Lapis returned and wiped the excess toothpaste from her mouth before continuing. “You went on a date with Jasper, it went great, and afterwards you both fucked yourselves. Then you texted about it. And now you’re worried that she was upset by that?”

“Uhm,” Peridot frowned again. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“But she apologized to you.”

“Yeah.”

“Peridot,” Lapis sighed, rubbing her brow with one hand. “It sounds like you both just overthought this, and neither wanted to text the other out of fear of upsetting them. Please just text her back and go out this weekend.”

“Are you sure?” Peridot worried, looking at the text again. “What if she is upset, and figures that the best way to move on is to apologize herself? What if—”

“Peridot.”

“…Fine,” Peri resigned to Lapis’ glare and began to text back.

_Me (Peridot Diamond): Hey Jasp, you don’t have to apologize. I’m not upset. I would have texted sooner, but I was afraid you’d be upset with me. I’d love to go out again._

Peridot hit ‘send’ and looked up at Lapis, who had already disappeared back into her room, and sighed.

 ~

Jasper picked up her phone to read Peridot’s message, anxiety creasing her brow. Silently, she handed the phone to Amethyst, who read it and smiled.

“See? I told you.”

“What do I say? I’m not sure what it means,” Jasper confessed.

“Then ask her what she means,” Amethyst shrugged.

Frowning, Jasper began to type.

_Me (Jasper Rossi): Why would I be upset? I liked it._

A moment later, she received a text from Peridot.

_Peri: So did I. I assumed you were upset because I didn’t hear anything from you for a few days._

_Me (Jasper Rossi): I thought the same thing. So, no hard feelings?_

_Peri: There never was :)_

_Me (Jasper Rossi): oh thank god. So, where do you wanna go this weekend? I picked last time._

_Peri: there’s a bar I like downtown. Interested?_

_Me (Jasper Rossi): sounds good! Should I pick you up again?_

_Peri: Actually, if you wanna meet me at my place, we can take a taxi so we don’t have to worry about cars._

_Me (Jasper Rossi): perfect. What time?_

_Peri: does 8:30 on Saturday sound good? :)_

_Me (Jasper Rossi): yeah, see you then Peri :D_

Jasper grinned as she clicked off her phone, turning to Amethyst.

“We’re going to a bar on Saturday,” Jasper announced, and Amethyst smiled and held up her hand for a high five, which she delivered.

“Nice! Are you meeting her there, or is someone picking up the other?” Amethyst smiled.

“I’m meeting her at her place and we’re taking a taxi, so we don’t have to worry about driving,” Jasper replied.

“Uh,” Amethyst began to frown, and Jasper looked at her anxiously.

“What?”

“If you guys are taking a taxi from her place to avoid driving, doesn’t that imply you guys are going to drink? At least enough to be unable to drive?”

“Yeah, I guess so…” Jasper replied slowly.

“And if you’re going to be going back to her place afterwards, you’ll still be too drunk to drive home, right?”

“Uh huh…” Jasper was beginning to see where this was going, and frowned.

“So Peridot’s counting on you staying the night, then,” Amethyst finished.

“It’s not like that,” Jasper protested quickly. “Peridot doesn’t want to take things too far, and neither do I.”

“You say that, but you’ve both already fucked yourselves to just the thought of the other, after one date,” Amethyst replied. “And you’ll be drinking.”

“Listen, I don’t wanna rush things,” Jasper said. “I really like her.”

“I’m not saying you do or don’t,” Amethyst shook her head. “I’m just saying that you two need to set up some boundaries when you’re both sober and in your right mind, okay? I don’t want either of you getting hurt.”

“You’re right,” Jasper sighed. “I don’t wanna push her too hard.”

“And I’m sure she doesn’t want to push you, either,” Amethyst said. “Why don’t you talk to her on Saturday before you all go to the bar? Set up some ground rules?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you have any ideas for ground rules?”

“Uh…no sex yet?” Jasper supplied lamely. Amethyst rolled her eyes.

“Okay, listen up,” Amethyst said seriously. “The lines need to be clear for stuff like this. Y’all need to establish how far is okay. I’m assuming kissing is okay, but what about making out? Groping? Can you guys lay down while you kiss, or might that take it too far? Dry humping? Second base? It’d be one thing if you already knew her, but since you two barely know each other, you have to be careful.”

“Don’t you think you’re taking it a bit far?” Jasper asked, and Amethyst shook her head.

“Shit happens,” she replied sagely. “Just think of what you’re okay with, and talk to her about it, okay? You could text her to tell her to do the same.”

“Fine, fine…” Jasper sighed, beginning to text Peridot. “Oh, and Ame? Thanks.”

Amethyst glanced over her shoulder, already on her way back to the kitchen, and nodded with a smile.

 ~

_Jasper: hey, my roommate pointed something out. If we’re both gonna be drinking, and I’m gonna be staying over at your place (at least, I assume so, since we’re taking a taxi from your apartment), then we should probably talk about how far we’re allowed to go. Physically, I mean._

Peridot read the text a couple times before a smile broke out on her face. Jasper was so kind and responsible and thoughtful and just…ugh! She just wanted to kiss her stupid, attractive face.

_Me (Peridot Diamond): you’re right, that would be smart. I don’t want you driving home so I’m happy to let you spend the night. I’m not sure how far I’m comfortable with…is it okay if we talk about it in person on Saturday?_

_Jasper: yeah, of course! That’s what I wanted to say, too. So, see you Saturday?_

_Me (Peridot Diamond): it’s a date :)_

 


End file.
